Warrant Officer Class Two Lachlan Muddle, 50, was fatally involved in a mid-air collision with another soldier on Monday evening, Defence has confirmed. Muddle was a highly skilled, experienced paratrooper, and had served in the Special Air Service (SAS) regiment.
Two of the airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare aircraft arrived in Australia earlier this year. The MC-55A Peregrines are based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia, and operated by No. 10 Squadron.
In a letter to Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson, ASU assistant national secretary Scott Cowen noted recent comments by Hudson at the Macquarie Australia Conference this month regarding cost reductions and the integration of AI across the Qantas Group.
The exercises involved a UH-60M Black Hawk flying through Melbourne’s CBD to ensure readiness in the event of a terrorist incident. Pilots, aircrew, and ground staff were also provided with specialised training in order to maintain “world-class capabilities”.
Future Form, a subcontractor for construction consortium Parklife Metro, came under scrutiny last year for alleged exploitation of workers and “mafia-style” intimidation tactics. The findings of an investigation have now been referred to police and integrity agencies.
Working with the United States Navy, Royal Canadian Navy, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force as part of Exercise Balikatan, Australian naval officers were given an important opportunity to practice cross-decking exercises.